I got a couple of friends wanting to buy a CBG and want me to built them one. They really liked mine and want them fretted too. My initial plans was to sell a few frettless CGBs because the are faster to build. I personaly think they look better fretted. I've already decided on a price but what is the markup from frettless to fretted ? It takes about 1 extra nite for me to fret one so I only lose one day of build time. I build these in my spare time working on my kitchen table and going back and forth to an open carport for use of my power tools. I don't have a deadline. I see them from 69-150.00 on ebay and craigslist. I know this is a taboo subject so no answer is ok....lol
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The way I figure it I charge $30 - $10 of which covers enough frett wire for 3 guitars so Im always ahead of the game there and the other $20 is for my hour of work. with a bit of practice and the right tools an hour is all you should need. Food for thought on CBG fretting, A lesson that I learned is that as the CBG ages and dries a bit more depending on storage conditions your frett work will probaly need to be re dressed in the future,as the wood will shrink a bit and the fretts will begin to stick out so I also offer a re dress at no cost.
Yup, cost sheet. My point exactly.
Well, let’s see… a few, basic, oh, let’s call ‘em, “minor expenses”… such as the cost of the box, neck, fingerboard, tuners, strings, nut, bridge, pickup, pots, jack, stain/sealant, frets, fret dots, tailpiece, misc. paraphernalia: sound hole covers, grommets, metal corners; assorted hardware: rivets/ferrules, screws, etc.; shop supplies such as wood glue, superglue(?), sandpaper, sanding belts, etc, etc. (Don't even think about fancy items such as resos, reso covers, etc., or the price of quality components at this point.)
How 'bout the cost of tools and equipment? Sure, some people may be doing just fine whittlin' out cbgs with only Grandpa’s old folding knife, but realistically, you’re looking at spending 100’s of dollars at a minimum… and that’s not even scratching the surface of the cost of specialized woodworking tools/equipment.
Now throw in one’s time/gas/etc., for just one trip to anyplace for supplies. One’s labor: the Number of Hours to build the thing (including prep work, clean up, etc., etc.); the time to take photos, write and post eBAY ad, etc… Oh, and have you prepared your package for shipment complete with appropriate size box, bubble wrap, tape, etc., yet? Driven to and then waited in a line for who-knows-how-long at the post office?
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Bottom line? If you can do all this and sell a cbg for a profit at a sale price of under $100… haha, well... ok. ; )
NOTE: This thread is about COSTS/PRICING cigar box guitars FOR SALE. I'm not addressing those who make cbgs for the fun of it, gifts, self-expression, target practice, therapy, to educate the masses, or because you just want an instrument “you made yourself,” etc., etc., etc.
lol....I bought a used craftsman planner and a bandsaw for 100.00 +new bandsaw blade 10.00. Then I just purchased a router/table combo and bits for 169.00.....so Im in it for 279.00 +-....lol.. and I used the router the most...lol......I have just built and delivered 1 CBG to a coworker for 100.00 lol...(friends discount). I just started another CBG for another coworker probably at a discount also.....so I got to sell 1 more CBG to pay for the tools. I plan on giving a couple to some family for Christmas but I hope to be able to charge more for the general pubic and to build as ordered. I know there is no real money to be made but I cant just keep stock piling them up around the house. The wife might have a problem with that....lol
step #1, 100% markup on parts to cover waste & scrap, tools & maintenance, disposal, replenishment, storage, electricity, band-aids, gauze, sutures, antibiotics, limb reattachment surgery, etc.
step #2, charge for your time as if you contracted each step from a craftsman/apprentice/laborer, $20/hour for the real skilled bits like hand carving and fret layout, $10/hour for the not skilled but tedious arm-aching bits like sanding & filing, $5/hour for the fun stuff using big power tools that do the work for you, $1/hour for the standing and staring at it thinking about what do do next.
This gives you a starting price for haggling...
step #3: look yourself in the mirror and remember to not take it too seriously. It is for fun. If you wanted to make instruments for a living you would not be here reading my rambling insanities...
Now that I think about it more, I agree with The Kid too, cause it is not just the frets and time to install them,it makes the whole build much more demanding and a higher degree of precision is needed to produce an instrument with decent string action and good intonation. So double the price for a fretted model, whatever your prices are. My minimum for a fairly basic fretted 3 string with a piezo would be about $300. If you are looking to make money, you are likely in the wrong business. I think the only real way to make any profit, and prob. not much either, would be in mass production but to me that would take all the fun out of it.
Well said. There are a lot of variables in here: Neck material, tuner quality, etc. without any special woods, I figure I'm $40 into a build, fretted. If you start adding Ebony fretboards, crafted bridges, etc., your material costs jump. Don't forget waste, Even the local Home Depot sells maple, but I always end up with cut offs.
The real key here is valuing your time and expertise. Unskilled vs. skilled labor. If you're making $5/hour plus materials, is it really worth it? For me, most of my builds are a labor of love, and are for friends and extended friends. When we start talking Orders for people I don't know, there's a warranty and reputation component. I wouldn't sell a fretted one for less than $150, even if my material costs are a third that. Even at $150, I'm paying myself less than $20/hr.
Would you take a JOB for $20 an hour, but only work 5 hours a day? Ok, that may be an exxageration as you can get efficient with your time... Just keep in mind that your time is valuable, and if you SELL one, be prepared to service it for free for an agreed to period of time. . . .
For me, I sell it to friends for just enough money to buy the next tool, or at least a down payment... :-)
Not to offend anyone, this is only my opinion, and I don't build and sell CBG's as my primary occupation. I would rather make one unique CBG, than 5 that are all the same....
Pricing is tough to determine with anything hand-made. You need to decide in which market you wish to compete. Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist...are all useless, to me. Why? Because, some of people listing on those sites don't value their own time and/or workmanship (or their workmanship is shoddy). They don't mind selling something for the price of the materials, plus a buck or two. That's fine, for them, but I choose not to sell in that market. My time and expertise are too valuable. I view my "creations" as functional art. So, in addition to covering materials and time, my price reflects the uniqueness of my offering. Ultimately,the market in which your competing determines the price. Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist-a CBG is worth $75 to $ 150 fretted, or not, one-off or production run-it's all the same to the customers, who are browsing from site to site looking for the best deal. Sell in that market, and you've limited your selling price to whatever that market will bear.
I will put a few gits in a local music store, to sell on consignment, knowing that I'm competing against "real" instruments, and understanding that the owner has no real incentive to sell my instrument, compared to selling an instrument that he has bought outright, to re-sell. Still, I figure that when the right person can actually see, touch, and, most importantly, play the instrument, I might get a sale, at a price that's acceptable to me. Plus, I like that I'm exposing people to an instrument they may have never even heard of.
My preferred way to sell is through self-generated referrals. It's a slower process, but I find much more rewarding. Go to open jams. Talk to everyone I meet, about CGBs. I'll take samples to the bar. Let people play them. Generate interest. Then, I might get a commission build. That's how I prefer to sell my CBGs.
To answer your question-to me a fretted guitar is easily worth twice what an un-fretted one is worth, because of the work and precision involved. Additionally, it's easier to sell to someone who plays a regular guitar.
As for what to charge friends for anything, not just guitars...good luck,. You're on your own:)
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